1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver JubileeUS-Market Version

CELEBRATING A QUEEN
Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England in 1952. 1977 was the 25th, or Silver Anniversary of her coronation and the entire nation was gearing up for a party. Triumph thought it would be an excellent opportunity to piggyback on the marketing push by producing a special bike commemorating the event. It was to be called the T140LE Bonneville Silver Jubilee Edition, and it was specially decked-out in very regal livery. It started out, as almost all Triumph Specials did, as a stock T140 Bonneville 750. But the Jubilee was given a special Blue-over-Silver paint job with red pin striping and special badging. The stepped ‘king-and-queen’ seat was upholstered in dark blue vinyl with red piping. The color scheme of Red and Blue were meant to pay homage to the British flag, the Union Jack, and the silver of course commemorates the 25th anniversary. All of the external engine covers (primary, timing & gearbox) were chromed, and each bike received a sequentially-numbered Letter of Authenticity. This was purely a cosmetic package, the only real mechanical enhancement was the addition of Girling’s new “Upside-Down Shocks” with exposed springs. This was all meant to honor and also cash in on the Queen’s 25th Silver Jubilee, and Triumph decided to cap production at 1,000 units. But they sold out so quickly that Triumph built another 1,000 just for the US market. When they sold out, they built another 400 for all markets. The first 1,000 bikes had a sticker on the side covers that said “One of a Thousand”. The later bikes say “Limited Edition”. So, this first of the Meriden Co-Ops ‘specials’ was a resounding success. They certainly needed the extra sales, adding up to about 350 bikes per week total, 60% bound for the US market.